Shipments of New iPhone Models Begin Arriving in the U.S. Ahead of Next Week's Media Event

With Apple having issued invitations for its September 10 media event where it is expected to introduce its next-generation iPhone 5S and 5C models, MacRumors has learned from a reliable source that the company has already begun shipments of at least some of the new hardware into the United States.

As is not unheard of for the company, Apple is already beginning to stockpile units in the United States for quick distribution to carrier partners, other third-party retail partners, and its own channels. With the new iPhone hardware expected to be introduced at next Tuesday's media event, Apple's pattern with previous releases suggests that the new models would launch in the U.S. and other first wave countries about a week and a half later, with Friday, September 20 being the most likely date.

blue_white_yellow_iphone_5c_packaged


C Technology, which has been posting a number of photos of alleged iPhone 5C units, packaging, and manuals, has also claimed on its Sina Weibo account (via @MobilesPie) that 1.2 million iPhone 5C units were shipped to the United States yesterday.

With the packaged iPhone 5C units showing up in a number of photographs over the past few days, it seems reasonable to believe that the device may indeed be ready for shipment ahead of next week's media event. Little to no specific evidence of iPhone 5S units being ready for shipment has been seen, and it is unclear whether that device is included in the U.S. shipments we are hearing about.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iphone 16 pro ghost hand

5 Reasons to Skip This Year's iPhone 17 Pro

Thursday July 10, 2025 4:54 am PDT by
Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 series in two months, and the iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to get a new design for the rear casing and the camera area. But more significant changes to the lineup are not expected until next year, when the iPhone 18 models arrive. If you're thinking of trading in your iPhone for this year's latest, consider the following features rumored to be coming...
apple tv 4k new orange

New Apple TV Expected Later This Year With These New Features

Saturday July 12, 2025 3:09 pm PDT by
A new Apple TV is expected to be released later this year, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device. Below, we recap what to expect from the next Apple TV, according to rumors. Rumors Faster Wi-Fi Support The next Apple TV will be equipped with Apple's own combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. He said the chip supports ...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 16 New Features

Friday July 11, 2025 12:40 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are only two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:A redesigned Dynamic Island: It has been rumored that all iPhone 17 models will have a redesigned Dynamic Island interface — it might ...
macbook pro blue green

M5 MacBook Pro No Longer Coming in 2025

Thursday July 10, 2025 12:38 pm PDT by
Apple does not plan to refresh any Macs with updated M5 chips in 2025, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Updated MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models are now planned for the first half of 2026. Gurman previously said that Apple would debut the M5 MacBook Pro models in late 2025, but his newest report suggests that Apple is "considering" pushing them back to 2026. Apple is now said to be...
iphone 16 pro pro max

iPhone 17 Pro Models With BOE Displays Will Be Sold in China Only

Thursday July 10, 2025 11:59 pm PDT by
iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models with displays made by BOE will be sold exclusively in China, according to a new report. Last week, it emerged that Chinese display manufacturer BOE was aggressively ramping up its OLED production capacity for future iPhone models as part of a plan to recapture a major role in Apple's supply chain. Now, tech news aggregator Jukan Choi reports...
Apple Watch Ultra 2 Complications

Apple Watch Ultra 3: What to Expect

Sunday July 13, 2025 10:30 am PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 is nearly over, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device. Below, we recap what to expect from the Apple Watch Ultra 3:Satellite connectivity for sending and receiving text messages when Wi-Fi and cellular coverage is unavailable 5G support, up from LTE on the Apple Watch Ultra 2 Likely a wide-angle OLED display that ...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

Apple Says iPhone Driver's Licenses Will Expand to These 8 U.S. States

Tuesday July 8, 2025 11:26 am PDT by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Unfortunately, this feature continues to roll out very slowly since it was announced in 2021, with only nine U.S. states, Puerto Rico,...
iPhone 17 Air Colors Thumb 2

iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air Rumored to Come in These 9 Colors

Friday July 11, 2025 12:30 am PDT by
The iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air will be available in a total of nine color options, according to new information coming out of Asia. The iPhone 17 Air's expected color options. According to the leaker going by the account name "yeux1122" on the Korean blog Naver, accessory manufacturers are now producing camera protector rings for the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air in colors to match their...

Top Rated Comments

Mad Mac Maniac Avatar
155 months ago
Where are all the "No way Apple would ever release that plastic garbage!" people now?? :rolleyes:
Score: 32 Votes (Like | Disagree)
netvvork Avatar
155 months ago
tease me

wow. nothing left up the imagination anymore. i was looking forward to some surprises at the keynote. i still check this site 200 times a day though :rolleyes:
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cmichaelb Avatar
155 months ago
I'm glad to hear units are arriving already and all...

But that 5C packaging is hopefully fake, it all looks like cheap Chinese ripoff packaging.
It looks like the current iPod packaging.

Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cmichaelb Avatar
155 months ago
Please, god, let there be 32gig models.
Not going to happen. 16GB for the 5C, 5S starts at 32GB. That will help differentiate the two models.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Hakone Avatar
155 months ago
In the keynote:

"... and you can get yours today"

/applause/
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ElTorro Avatar
155 months ago
It's evident that with Tim's doubling down on security, we are almost at the point where we will be able to track the shipment of the 5C units from all the way from Foxconn.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)